US protesters shut down weapons company behind arming Israel

US police are seen restraining a pro-Palestine activist outside the headquarters of Elbit Systems, the largest weapons supplier to Israel, in Boston on October 30, 2023.

The US police have arrested pro-Palestine activists who shut down an arms company supplying Israel with weapons, in protest against the Israeli genocide of Palestinians. 

Palestine Action US said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday that activists have “completely halted” the business of Elbit Systems in Boston.

The video posted on the group’s account showed protesters gathering outside the company’s headquarters, chanting “Elbit Systems has got to go” and “Free, free Palestine”.

According to the group, police used pepper spray against the demonstrators and arrested nine people after protesters broke through barricades protecting the building and blocked the entrance.

Activists were heard in the video telling officers “You’re defending genocide of children”, and “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?”

Elbit Systems is the largest weapons supplier to Israel. Its American subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, has operational facilities in Texas, New Hampshire, Alabama, Virginia, and Florida, according to the company’s website.

Elbit America denied that it or its Cambridge plant had been shut down, reiterating support for Israel.

Earlier this month, Palestine Action activists threw red paint and blockaded the entrance to Elbit’s Boston facility as they believe the company “arms the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

The regime has further ordered 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to evacuate and move to the south of the coastal sliver. However, it has continued to rain down bombs on the south.

On Friday, the Israeli regime announced the expansion of its ground raids in Gaza, cutting off internet and communications in the strip

The Israeli aggression has so far killed 8,306 Palestinians, including 3,457 children, and has injured more than 21,000 others.